Engine starter control



Sept. 29, 1953 P. SCHNEIDER ENGINE STARTER CONTROL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 2, 1949 yf ATTORNEYS //v VEN TOR Patented Sept. 29, 1953 ENGINE STARTER CONTROL Paul L. Schneider, Anderson,

General Motors Cor Ind., assignor to poration, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application April 2, 1949, Serial No. 85,231

3 Claims.

This invention relates to engine starters of the type comprising an electric motor which drives a pinion movable axially into mesh with the flywheel gear of the engine to be started. In one form of such starter a solenoid is used to effect axial movement of the pinion and close the main switch connecting the storage battery with the electric motor. The energization of the solenoid is controlled by a push button switch. In case the self operation of the engine is only temporary, in other words, a false start, the inclination on the part of the driver is to operate the push button switch immediately to connect the battery with the solenoid without waiting for the starting motor and its pinion to coast to a stop and for the engine to come to a complete stop. Under these conditions, clash of gears would result before the starting operation is repeated. In case the engine is running and the driver operates the push button, the pinion will strike the flywheel gear while it is moving rapidly, resulting in damage to both the gear and pinion teeth.

Objects of the present invention are to prohibit the use of the engine starter in case of a false start for a time sufficient for the starter and engine to become stationary and to prohibit the use of the starter as long as the engine is running. In the disclosed embodiment thereof, the present invention provides means under control by engine suction for blocking movement of the push button switch while the engine is running and for delaying the return of the blocker to a non-blocking position when the engine stops. The blocker is attached to a diaphragm forming one side of a suction chamber connected with the engine intake so that movement of the diaphragm under engine suction will move the blocker to functioning position, said movement being opposed by a spring which, when the engine stops, moves the diaphragm and the blocker to a non-functioning position. The operation of the spring is retarded by a restriction in the vent of the diaphragm The vent restriction is provided by a length of smoking pipe cleaner placed in a portion of the diaphragm chamber vent duct. This form of restricted vent has two advantages, first, it is quiet in operation as compared with a vent restriction provided by a small hole through which air passes and makes a whistling sound during the venting action, and second, ease of adjustment of the time delay is provided by varying the length of the smoking pipe cleaner included in the vent duct.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following dehi scription, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein preferred embodiments of the present invention are clearly shown.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a diagram of an engine starter control system embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagram of a modification thereof.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the starter control switch on a larger scale than in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 4 showing certain parts in other positions.

Fig. 6 is a view in the direction of arrow 6 of Fig. 3, certain parts being omitted.

Referring to Fig. 1 in which the engine starter is shown diagrammatically, the starting motor I 0 has one terminal grounded at I l and the other connected to a switch contact 30. The motor armature shaft [2 is splinedly connected with a sleeve [3 connected through a one-way or overrunning clutch M with a pinion [5 adapted to mesh with the flywheel gear 16 of the engine. A grooved collar ll which is slidable on sleeve I3 is urged by a spring l8 against a split wire snap ring I 9 received by a groove in sleeve l3. Pins received by the groove of collar l! are attached to a lever 2| which is bifurcated and which is pivoted at 22. A spring 23 urges lever 2| clockwise and sleeve #3 against a stop 24.

The upper end of lever 2| carries a pin 25 received by a slot 26 in a member 21 attached to a solenoid armature 28 engageable with a rod 29a connected with a movable switch contact 29 for connecting contacts 30 and 3|. A spring 290 urges contact 29 away from contacts 30 and 3| and into engagement with a rod bearing 29b which provides a magnetizable pole piece toward which the armature 28 is attracted when solenoid windings 32 and 33 are energized by closing a motor control switch 35 which connects these windings With a battery 36.

The switch 35 comprises a case 3! which a yoke 38 attaches to a mounting plate 39 having a threaded portion 49 which extends through a hole in an instrument panel ll and receives a nut 42, the tightening of which secures the plate 39 to the panel 4|. Case 31 is closed by a nonconducting cover 43 supporting contacts 44 and 45 engageable by a sliding contact 46 mechanically connected to a nonconducting carrier 41 enclosing a spring 48 which urges the contact 46 toward the cover 43. Carrier 1? is mechanically connected to a carrier slide 50 connected to a rod 5! extending through the plate 39 and attached to a push button 52. A spring 53 urges the rod EH toward the right and slide 50 against the right wall of case 31.

Case 3? supports a shell 68 having its flange 6i crimped around the fiange 62 of a shell 53. Shell 6!! has ears 88a (Fig. 5) punched out and bent down and attached by welding to case 31. The peripheral portion of a diaphragm E iispinched between shells Bi! and t3 and its central portion is connected by a rivet 55 with a plate 66 integral with two spring fingers 61 (Figs. 3-6) and witha cupped washer 65 which receives one end of a spring E59 which surrounds a tube 16 attached'to afiange '53 (Fig. 3) of the shell 63. The spring. 69 urges the diaphragm 6d downuntil the rivet 55 touches the case 3?. The fingers 5! are then disposed as shown in Fig. 4 to receive between them a part it of the carrier slide 53 Upw'ard move" ment of the diaphragm 64 is stopped by engagement of washer 63 with the tube it which is notched at l2 so that suction on the diaphragm 6d continues after said engagemen v 4 Tube i8 is connected with a junction block Hi connected with a suction operated windshield wiper it. Block it is connected with a tube ll containing a smoking pipe cleaner i3 and with a tube it; with a; vacuum booster pump" 89 connected by tube 3! with the engine intake. Pump 83' comprises a chamber 82 connected with tubes 79 and ti by check valves 83 and 8 respectively, and is closed on one side by a diaphragm 85 carrying a stud 86 which a spring 87 urges against a bar 83 attached to an eccentric strap 88 surrounding an eccentric ed driven by the cam shaft at of the engine. 7

To start the engine, the button 52 is pushed left to cause the contact 46 to connect contacts at and de and current flows from the battery 36 through solenoid coils 32' and 33'. Armature 28 moves left to cause lever 2! to move counterclockwise to move the collar fl right and through 4 the spring it to move the sleeve l3, clutch Hi and pinion it. If no tooth abutment occurs, pinion l5 meshes with gear is and then the contact 29 engages contacts 3t and 3| and the battery 36 is directly connected with the motor it and the i.

engine gear i3 is rotated. Though coil 33 is shorted, coil 32 remains effective to hold the armature 28 in fully attracted position. If tooth abutment occurs, left movement of armature 28 continues to close the contacts 29, 3E} and 3[ while spring is is compressed. The motor it operates to turn the pinion it to relieve the abutment, whereupon spring it is released to move the pinion is quickly into mesh with the gear.

When the engine starts, pinion i5 overruns the motor shaft by virtue of the one-way clutch it. The button 52 is released to permit spring 53 to open the contacts M, 15 and t6. Coil '32 is de energized and the armature 28 moves right and the pinion it: moves left under the action of spring 23. Spring 29c' separates contact 29 from contacts 3e and ti. In case of a back fire and the pinion it remains in mesh with gear 16, the button 52 is. released to permit spring 290 to separate contact 23 from contacts 30 and 3|, said movement being possible by virtue of the pin-'and slot lost motion connection between the armature 28 and the lever 2|.

When the engine becomes self operative, engine suction applied to the upper side of diaphragm 5e causes it and the fingers ii! to rise so that the lower ends are in the path of movement of part ll of the carrier slide If the button 52 had not been released when the engine became self-operative, the part H of the carrier slide 50 would remain between the fingers: 6'! and upward movement of the diaphragm 64 would cause the fingers 61 to engage part ii and be spread apart to the positions 51 in Fig. 5. When the button 52 is released spring 53 is still able to move the contact 46 to switch opening position because the frictional resistance between the fingers 61 and the part H is slight. When the part H has been retracted by spring 53, the fingers 6'! move into position 6? (Fig. 5) to block movement of the contact is into switch closingposition while the engine is running. Therefore, the engine starter cannot be operated while the engine running.

In case of a false start, the tendency on the part of the driver is to push the button 52 imr riediatel y without waiting for the pinion E5 to stop rotating after having been retracted from the gear it. Immediate operation of the starter would cause gear clashing before the pinion l5 could remesh with the gear 16. To prevent this, the present invention provides a. time delay in the lowering of the vacuum above the diaphragm 8'5. When the engine stops, the vacuum booster 8E? stops with its valves 83 and 3t closed. Air is permitted to enter slowly into the pipe H by virtue of the smoking pipe cleaner i8 whose length included with pipe 17 is such that the lapse of a few seconds is required before the diaphragm t t returns to down position to cause the fingers 6? to be located out of the path of movement of part I! of the carrier slide 59. The cleaner i8 is adjusted longitudinally to effect that time delay required for the pinion it: to coast to a stop after the false start.

If the equipment does not include a vacuum booster pipe BI is connected with a junction block connected with the windshield wiper and with the tube 10 by a removable hose 93 containing a piece of smoking pipe cleaner 9'! of the length required to effect the desired retardation of return of the diaphragm 64 to down position. In addition to facilitating adjustment of retardation of the return of fingers 61 to nonblocking position, the vent restriction provided by a length of smoking pipe cleaner is quiet in operation as compared with a conventional restriction provided by a small hole through which the passage of air causes a whistling sound.

The present invention is applicable also to the type of engine starter which comprises a starting motor driving a screw shaft on which the starter pinion is threaded, the operation of the motor under control by a push button switch causing the pinion to move axially into mesh with the engine flywheel gear and then to rotate it. While the embodiments of the present'invention as herein disclosed, constitute preferred forms, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1'. Control apparatus for an electrically operated engine starter comprising a manually operated, normally open switch the closing of which causes the engine starter to operate, said switch including a movable switch closing member, means operated by engine suction for blocking movement of the contacting closing member when the engine is self-operative and comprising a suction chamber member connected with the engine intake, a diaphragm closing one side of the chamber member, a spring opposing movement of the diaphragm by engine suction and returning the diaphragm to normal position when the engine stops, and a blocker attached to the diaphragm and located in non-blocking position when the diaphragm is in normal position, and means for retarding movement of the diaphragm to normal position when the engine stops for a time sufficient for the engine starter to become stationary, said means including a valve operable to prevent communication between the suction chamber and the intake manifold upon a predetermined decrease in manifold suction and a passage connecting said suction chamber directly with the atmosphere having a piece of porous fibrous material positioned therein to: restrict the passage of air therethrough, whereby movement of the diaphragm toward its normal position is retarded upon a reduction in manifold suction.

2. Control apparatus for an electrically operated engine starter comprising a manually operated, normally open switch the closing of which causes the engine to operate, said switch having a movable switch closing member, a spring biasing said member into switch-open position, a part movable with said member, means operated by engine suction for blocking movement of the contacting closing member when the engine is self-operative and comprising a suction chamber member connected with the engine intake, a-diaphragm closing one side of the chamber member, a spring opposing movement of the diaphragm by engine suction and returning the diaphragm to normal position when the engine stops, and a blocker attached to the diaphragm and extending obliquely to the plane of movement of said part and located by the diaphragm, when in normal position, out of the path of movement of the part, and located by the diaphragm, during engine operation, in the path of movement of the part, said blocker being resilient whereby, in the event the member is retained in switch closing position when the engine be-' comes self-operative, the blocker is caused to bend by virtue of engagement with said part when the blocker is moved by the diaphragm actuated by engine suction, the release of the member permitting the first mentioned spring to retract the part from the blocker to permit the latter to flex into blocking position in the path of movement of the part.

3. Control apparatus according to claim 2 in which the blocker comprises two spring fingers fixed to the diaphragm and movable thereby in a direction transverse to the direction of move ment of the part which is movable with the switch closing member, said fingers being spaced at their fixed ends and extending obliquely to the plane of movement of said part and toward each other whereby their free ends are in engagement, the space between the arms receiving said part when the diaphragm is in normal position, whereby, in the event the switch closing member is not released when the engine becomes self-operative, the fingers are caused to separate by virtue of their engagement with said part when the fingers are moved by the diaphragm actuated by engine suction, the release of the member permitting the first mentioned spring to retract the part from the spring fingers to permit them to flex together with their free ends in blocking position in the path of movement of the part.

PAUL L. SCHNEIDER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

